Wide-angle high-resolution solid-state lidar system using grating lobes

Abstract

A method and system for a wide-angle high-resolution solid-state LIDAR system using multiple grating lobes includes a laser driver providing a current to a laser, and the laser producing laser energy. A splitter receiving the laser energy, and dividing the laser energy. The divided laser energy is provided to an optical antenna, where the optical antenna is connected to an optical phase shifter. The optical phase shifter controls the phase of the beams to be emitted from the antennas. The optical antenna emits beams, and the emitted beams include a first lobe and a second lobe. A photoreceiver having an optical receiver receives reflected optical signals, where the reflected optical signals are reflections of the first lobe and second lobe. Then, the reflected optical signals are converted into electronic signals in parallel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A LIDAR transmitting apparatus, comprising:
 a control circuit;   a LIDAR signal processor located within the control circuit; and   a transmitter comprising:
 an optical phased array circuit, 
 an optical phased array driver, wherein the optical phased array driver is in communication with the control circuit and controls the optical phased array circuit, 
 a laser, and 
 a laser driver, wherein the laser driver is in communication with the LIDAR signal processor and drives the laser. 
   
     
     
         2 . The LIDAR transmitting apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the optical phased array circuit is a transmitter circuit.   
     
     
         3 . The LIDAR transmitting apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 the laser is a laser diode located on the transmitter circuit.   
     
     
         4 . The LIDAR transmitting apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 the transmitter circuit includes an optical phased array.   
     
     
         5 . The LIDAR transmitting apparatus of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 the optical phased array includes a plurality of optical antennas, including a first optical antenna and a second optical antenna;   a plurality of optical phase shifters, including a first optical phase shifter and a second optical phase shifter, wherein the first optical phase shifter is connected to the first optical antenna, and the second optical phase shifter is connected to the second optical antenna; and   a splitter, wherein the splitter divides optical power from the laser among the plurality of optical antennas.   
     
     
         6 . The LIDAR transmitting apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of optical antennas are spaced with a uniform pitch between them. 
     
     
         7 . The LIDAR transmitting apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of optical antennas produces a main lobe and at least one grating lobe. 
     
     
         8 . The LIDAR transmitting apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one grating lobe may be a number of grating lobes between 1 and 6. 
     
     
         9 . The LIDAR transmitting apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein a total number of lobes produced by the plurality of optical antennas is seven, wherein the total number of lobes is the main lobe plus the at least one grating lobe. 
     
     
         10 . A LIDAR processing apparatus, comprising:
 a control circuit;   a LIDAR signal processor located within the control circuit; and   a receiver comprising:
 a photoreceiver, and 
 a receiver front end circuit, wherein the receiver front end circuit is in communication with the LIDAR signal processor and is coupled to the photoreceiver. 
   
     
     
         11 . The LIDAR processing apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 the photoreceiver having an optical receiver with a photodiode.   
     
     
         12 . The LIDAR processing apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a quantity of optical receivers with photodiodes in the photoreceiver corresponds to a total number of lobes, wherein the total number of lobes equals a main lobe in addition to at least one grating lobe produced by a plurality of optical antennas. 
     
     
         13 . The LIDAR processing apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 the photoreceiver having at least one of a plurality of pixels, a plurality of photodetectors, and a plurality of integrated photonic circuits.   
     
     
         14 . A method, comprising:
 providing, by a laser driver, a current to a laser;   producing, by the laser, laser energy;   receiving, at a splitter, the laser energy;   dividing, by the splitter, the laser energy producing a divided laser energy,   providing, to an optical antenna, the divided laser energy, wherein the optical antenna is connected to an optical phase shifter,   controlling, by the optical phase shifter, a phase of beams to be emitted from the optical antenna;   emitting, by the optical antenna, beams that include a first lobe and a second lobe;   receiving, at a photoreceiver having an optical receiver, reflected optical signals, wherein the reflected optical signals are reflections of the first lobe and the second lobe producing a reflected first optical signal and a reflected second optical signal; and   converting the reflected first optical signal and the reflected second optical signal into electronic signals in parallel.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 operating, by an optical phase driver, the optical phase shifter.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the optical antenna includes is a plurality of optical antennas, including a first optical antenna and a second optical antenna, the first optical antenna producing a first beam and the second optical antenna producing a second beam. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 generating, by the laser driver, an identical optical signal for the first beam and the second beam.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 tuning a phase difference between the first optical antenna and the second optical antenna.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 generating, from the electronic signals, at least one of a point cloud and a 1D line scheme.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first lobe is a main lobe and the second lobe is at least one grating lobe.